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Xavier Institute, 9:45 PM (EST)
In what's quickly becoming a ritual known around the school, the groundskeeper, having finished her day's work, bathed, eaten and watched a little TV, now sits atop the steeply peaked roof of her shack, looking up at the visible stars, her Stetson pushed back against her scalp. A six pack of Dr Pepper in a little plastic cooler sits next to her.
And, unsurprisingly, things are still afoot in the rear bays of the Intstitute's rather cavernous garage spaces. Some surf ballads play on a stereo and welding sparks flare, eventually ceasing. Dizzy flips back her old welding mask, and glances up at the clock, setting welding gloves aside and getting up to claiming a beer from an ice-filled and usually padlocked parts washer, popping the top with an opener screwed to the side. Shrugs on a leather jacket, and heads into the night air, fishing in a pocket for a smoke and a lighter.
Orion was appraoching…lightly, mind you, but he was mainly just exploring the grounds. He doesn't appear to have any kind of mind for anything at the moment, wearing a black leather jacket with blue jeans, boots, and a T-shirt with the school Logo on the chest. Though he eventually sees Amber with a small smile on his face. "Hey there." he says then, approaching the young woman though he also sees Dizzy, giving her a little wave to invite her over.
Amber gives a grin as Julie emergest from her Temple of The Higher Octanes, and waves her up.
Heya, young sir.", Amber greets Orion, tipping her hat politely. "C'mon up an' grab some roof.", she calls invitingly. "Footin's left, left, right, an' pull like th' dickens.", she advises.
Orion smiles softly to Amber as he just hops on up there, sitting near Amber but not next to her. Perhaps preferring the perfect view of the grounds during the perfect time of day, though he settles himself in a way that he can look at Amber AND the scenery. Perfect setting. "Hello, young lady." Orion teases her very softly before he stretches a bit. "So, what's new with you?"
Julie ducks back in to add an extra beer or two to jacket pockets, she's wearing one of those in team colors that seems replete with them for various items she's known to carry, and saunters on down toward Amber's roof. "That you, Orion? I could tell by the way I couldn't hear youse," she jokes. Dizzy has a pretty local accent, New York City Italian, which she rarely bothers to tone down. "Dunno if you met Amber, yet, she's the new groundskeeper. Takes care of one horsepower at a time, too."
It's about then that the sound of a vehicle coming up the drive and toward the garage can be heard. It's a late-model Citroen Ami 6 sedan, in a pretty bleu— er, blue color. And, well, unfamiliar to anyone present, which, since that includes Julie, means it really must be a car not seen on the premises before.
But once the car is close enough to be seen into clearly, the pretty blonde driver will prove to be much more familiar, as she brakes her vehicle smoothly to a stop and turns off the ignition. A moment later, the door opens, and Sophie gracefully steps out of the little sedan.
Amber smirks a bit as Orion shows off his talents, reaching into the cooler to offer the young man a Dr. Pepper. "Amber Mueller.", she says, offering her hand. "Welcome to my roof.", she winks. "Heya, Jules, you ever get that shit wagon a' Eva's fixed?", she asks, not offering her a drink. Odds are, she's brought her own. "Well, shee-it.", Amber twangs in her best Southwestern Texas accent as the bleu, er, blue car arrives. "Fancy ride, that.", she notes, pausing to take a swig of her own Dr Pepper.
Orion smiles to Amber as he extends his hand to shake her own. "Orion Calloway. thanks for letting me aboard." Before his eyes shift to Julie as she arrives. "Heh, hey Julie. How goes it Diz?" Orion asks curiously, before he smiles. "Groundskeeper huh?" he nods lightly to Amber then. "Good to have you around."
THen he notices the pretty sedan and the prettier blonde that comes out of it. His eyes widen. Sophie! He practically leapt off the roof and moved to try to give her the biggest long-hug in warm welcome. "You're back!" regardless of if the hug was allowed, he hten looks at Sophie. "What took you so long? Diz and Amber are here too."
Hugging Orion back happily, Sophie answers, "It is… complicated. But family often is. But yes, I am back. And, well, my grandmama bought me a prsent, so." She gestures to the car as she's saying that, making it clear that it's the 'present' in question. It seems spending several months back in France has left her with a bit more noticeable accent than she had when she left, but not drastically.
Julie's attention's caught by the unfamiliar engine sound indeed, or, perhaps it's not the sound, since to her a flat two-cylinder engine isn't something that she'll generally sense with four wheels on it. By the time Sophie steps out, "Sophie! Where you been, except I guess mailing yourself that? 'S cute." Well, to American eyes, it's a miniature car, really. She offers beers from her pockets,
Orion looks to Sophie as they enjoy a hug and they both pull away. "Hey…I know the feeling. If you need to talk about it.. you know we-" he pauses. Gripping his jacket sleeve. A reference to Virus, the Symbiote. "I'm here for you." he smiles, before he looks to Julie with a small chuckle. though he does look back to Sophie. "Amazing car, by the way. family must love you." he teases her. Before he's called on over by Charles Xavier. With a nod in that direction, Orion pats Sophie's shoulder. "It's good to have you back, Soph. Let's talk soon, okay?" and he walks over to give Julie a hug as well. "Good to see you too Diz." then a glance to Amber. "Nice meeting you!" and suddenly, off goes Orion!
"She's shiny, enough, no doubt.", Amber murmurs to Julie, nodding at Orion's departure. "Awful lotta money to get such a machine stateside.", she notes.
"Heyo, there, young lady!", she calls to Sophie, waving her hat. "C'mon up an' grab some rooftop, if y
"She's shiny, enough, no doubt.", Amber murmurs to Julie, nodding at Orion's departure. "Awful lotta money to get such a machine stateside.", she notes.
Amber says, "Heyo, there, young lady!", she calls to Sophie, waving her hat. "C'mon up an' grab some rooftop, if y' care to.". she offers."
Julie hugs Orion bye-for-now and welcome, winks, then, to Sophie, re-pocketing beers and hopping up a few designated steps to haul herself onto the roof, and pauses to offer Sophie a hand up in case she doesn't care to just fly, then, walks casually up to and along the ridge of the roof, puffing her smoke. Diz may not fly unaided, but she's got that uncanny sense of balance. "Oh, Yuliya's van? Yeah, pretty much, for now. Got the intake end set up with something less primitive for carburetion, and the essentials, really. Thing like that we could spend all summer on in some ways."
As Orion heads off, Sophie smoothly takes flight, and a moment later alights near the other two on the roof. Julie gets an immediate and rather emphatic hug. "It is good to be back," she says. "I had not expected to be away for so long, but all is well, now." Once she;s done hugging her friend, she turns to Amber with a smile. "Hello. A pleasure to meet you. You must be Amber?"
Amber tips her Stetson, then offer her hand. "Amber Muller.", she replies politely. "Care for a Dr Pepper?", she offers, nodding in the direction of the cooler. "That's a fancy ride y' got down there, miss.", she notes. "Guessin' you come from some manner of priviledge.", she says without a hint of judgement in her voice.
Julie returns Sophie's hug, with a grin, "Yeah, we been trying the nick Ember on her, though." She hoists her opened beer, having brought others, as an alternative.
Sophie shakes the offered hand politely, smiling warmly now, her manner relaxed and friendly. "Sophie Rousseau, or 'Mistral', as I am known in uniform." She pronounces her codename the French way, with the emphasis on the second syllable, and the vowel more of an 'ah' sound. With a slightly self-conscious shrug and a tilt of her head toward the car down below, she adds, "It is a bit of extravagance from my doting grandmama. She does not know of my powers, and that I can fly faster than the car can be driven. It /will/ be helpful at times like this, though, when I come with luggage," She does, at least for now, accept one of the offered Dr. Peppers, though she may switch up what she's drinking, given time.
Julie nods to Sophie. "I hear they got some real small streets in France, but… Hey, I guess you're staying a while?" she says, realizing Sophie's mentioned luggage, rather hopefully, perhaps.
"Some call me Ember.", Amber drawls, popping open an ice-cold bottle of Dr Pepper with one hand, while shaking Sophie's firmly. "Groundskeeper.", she notes simply. "See you and Jules are friendly.", she notes approvingly. "It's an awful pretty little car.", she adds, winking. "Have to introduce you t' Bertha one day.", she grins.
"How's she run to your estimation, Jules?", she calls out at Julie surveys the pretty little thing.
Julie hrms, smirks, "Like a motorbike, from what I can tell, but ought to be pretty simple to keep going. Got a good mill set up for yer Bertha, by the way, oughtta fit right up."